ISLAMABAD: The State Department spokesperson said this week the US expected “sustained action” from Pakistan against all militant groups and would cooperate with the South Asian nation to help eliminate regional and global terror threats.

The remarks come as widespread reports signal a return of militants to Pakistan’s northwest, particularly Swat Valley, amid a stalled peace deal with Islamabad and drawn-out negotiations that began last year.

Thousands came out in protest last week in Swat Valley in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a school van, killing the driver and injuring one student. Last month, a bombing claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) killed eight people, including influential anti-Taliban leader Idrees Khan, in what was the first major bombing in Swat in more than a decade.

“Few countries have suffered from terrorism like Pakistan and have a shared interest in combating threats to regional instability and regional security like the TTP,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“We seek a strong partnership with Pakistan on counterterrorism and expect sustained action against all militant and terrorist groups, and we look forward to the cooperative efforts to eliminate all regional and global terrorist threats.”

Last month the Pentagon announced the US State Department had approved the potential sale of F-16 aircraft sustainment and related equipment to Pakistan in a deal valued at up to $450 million. The State Department subsequently said the equipment would sustain Pakistan’s “capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats.”

It was the first major security assistance approval to Pakistan from Washington after former US president Donald Trump’s administration, in 2018, announced ending security assistance to Pakistan, alleging that Islamabad was not taking concrete actions against militants. Pakistan denies this.

Last week, Pakistan’s foreign office summoned US Ambassador Donald Blome after President Joe Biden referred to the South Asian country as “one of the most dangerous nations in the world,” saying it had nuclear weapons “without any cohesion.”

However, earlier this week, the State Department spokesperson said the US had confidence in Pakistan’s ability to secure its nuclear arsenal.